Cotton sampling knife



Oct. 8, 1940. w. H. BURNS COTTON SAMPLING KNIFE I Filed June 14, 19.38

INVENTOR W H B urns BY g x Q ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 8, 1940 UNITED STATES sur- OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to an attachment for knives, and in particular the invention pertains to an attachment for that type of knife employed to cut cotton samples.

In the cotton industry, it is the practice for buyers and sellers to out samples from the bales of cotton in order to obtain a representative sample of the cotton therein. The cut that is made in the bale is deep and requires a relatively great pressure on the cutting knife which is passed through the cotton with a sweeping motion. In order to obtain the necessary pressure, cotton samplers now grasp the knife handle in one hand and grip such hand from above with and across the other hand, the butt of said other hand resting on the back edge of the knife blade. Without protection for the butt of such other hand, it soon becomes sore and irritated, and cotton samplers usually take a handfulof cotton, rags, or the like to protect the blade engaging hand. In some instances leather pads are used but, at best, the protectors now available are inconvenient to use and cause much annoyance.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide an attachment for cotton sampling knives which eliminates the necessity of using hand protectors as above; the attachment being in the form of a hand engaging seat or pad afiixed to the blade of the knife and disposed above the blade adjacent the handle as will hereinafter appear in detail.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the attachment secured to a'cotton sampling knife.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a cotton sampling knife with the attachment thereon.

Figure 3 is a cross section on line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the cotton sampling knife as shown includes a blade I; the back edge being indicated at 2 and the cutting edge at '3. The usual handle 4 is fixed in connection with the blade.

The attachment comprises a seat or pad 5 shaped to conform to and engage a substantial portion of the palm of a persons hand; this pad being preferably made of cast, light weight metal polished on its surface and rounded at its edges so as to avoid any chafing effect.

A saddle 6, preferably cast integral with the pad, depends from the under side thereof. The saddle seat 1 is substantially the thickness of the blade adjacent its upper edge and immediately forward 9f the. handle; the saddle straddling such portion of the blade from outwardly thereof as shown. The back edge 2 of such blade portion is notched at 8 and receives the solid cross member 9 of the saddle immediately above the slot in seated relation, whereby to provide a locator and prevent rocking of the pad relative to the blade, and shearing of the securing element hereinafter described. The saddle is secured to the blade in fixed relation by a transverse extending rivet or bolt H1.

The pad 5 is positioned relative to the saddle so that said pad extends transversely of the blade with its lowest portion at an acute angle to the transverse vertical plane thereof. The rear portion of the pad also is disposed at an upwardly diverging angle to and is spaced from the handle so as to clear the hand which grasps said handle. In use, the handle is grasped by a person in one hand and with the cutting edge 3 of blade 1 outward. The palm of the other hand is then placed on the pad and the fingers of such hand gripped over the handle grasping hand. The knife is then used to cut a cotton sample in the usual way; the attachment making possible a full exertion by the sampler of the strength of both arms and hands, and without any tendency to irritate or injure the hand which engages the pad and regardless of the extent of use of the knife.

With the above described assembly, cotton samples can be out quickly and with facility, and the annoyance attendant the present practice is entirely avoided. Further, the pad, when engaged by a persons hand, maintains the blade in proper cutting direction, and due to the position of the pad, the blade may be sharpened in the usual manner.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still-in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my' invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In the combination of, and as a two-handed cotton sampling knife, a. knife having a blade and a handle, and a hand engaging pad rigidly mounted on the upper edge of the blade adjacent the handle; said pad having a relatively large upper surface shaped to fit and be engaged by the palm of one hand of the user while the other hand is grasping the knife handle and the fingers of said one hand are gripping the other hand from above and across the latter; the pad, in its central longitudinal section, being concave in form at its forward portion and then sloping upward for a substantial distance and at a relatively steep angle to a termination at its rear end well above the level of its forward end.

2. A device as in claim 1, in which the upper surface of the pad in the zone of the concave portion slopes down from one side to the other.

3. In the combination of, and as a two-handed cotton sampling knife, a knife having a blade and a handle, a hand engaging pad, and means rigidly mounting the pad on the upper edge of the knife blade adjacent the handle; said means comprising a saddle depending from the pad and straddling the knife blade, and a securing element through the saddle and blade, the blade having a notch cut thereinto from said upper edge and for the full length of the saddle whereby to locate the pad and prevent movement thereof lengthwise of the blade independently of said securing element.

WILLIAM HENRY BURNS. 

